


A Gentle Reminder

by icky_icky



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Reader-Insert, Slow Burn, reader is oblivious
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:15:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22122430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icky_icky/pseuds/icky_icky
Summary: You are a Lieutenant working under General Hux. After getting a virus from a returning mission, you become more aware of how willing the General is to help you and keep you happy. As time goes on you become closer with your superior and realize feelings you never thought you would have.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Reader, Armitage Hux/You
Comments: 7
Kudos: 142





	1. Time off

You stifle a cough into your gloved hand, following it up by clearing your throat as to not make it so obvious. Ever since you were sent to accompany General Hux to oversee the return of stormtroopers sent on a mission to seek out any resistance sympathizers. The planet they were deployed on was known for its humidity and continuous rainfall. Therefore it was no surprise when more than half of the returning stormtroopers were sent to the med bay. Being in the vicinity of that many sick individuals, you must have caught whatever it was from that planet. 

Being Lieutenant causes you to work in close proximity to General Hux’s office, who is sure to be tired of your incessant coughing. You twist off the cap of your water bottle and take a swig to try and provide some relief. Your head was throbbing, you could hardly breathe out of your nose, and your throat was incredibly sore. Feeling another cough coming on, you clear your throat harshly and continue working. 

“Lieutenant,” the voice of your superior cut through the silence in the shared office.

“Yes sir?” You ask, wincing at the discomfort in your throat as you speak.

“Would you mind telling me why you decided to come work today if you are feeling unwell?” This was not a question, it was an order

“I apologize sir, I am aware of my current state. However, with the recent return of the mission I have a lot of work to complete and taking a day off would cause more work to be done upon my return.” You reply firmly, turning your chair to face the general.

He is sitting with his elbows propped up on his desk, hands clasped in front of his mouth, and a look of confusion and annoyance on his face. He takes a deep breath and exhales as he looks up at you. You have grown accustomed to his glares and have gotten very good at being able to decipher the emotions behind them. This one however, felt more emotionally charged or out of pity than anything. 

“Not only are you putting a General at risk of catching whatever sort of virus you have caught, but overworking oneself when feeling under the weather will cause more harm than good even if there is work to be done.” Hux’s familiar tone began to fade as he continued speaking. He finished his thought and rested his crossed hands on his desk, waiting for you to reply. Through all the time you have been working almost alongside General Hux, you rarely heard his tone of voice change from anything other than harsh and professional. Of course it is standard protocol to keep the air of professionalism, especially as a General of the First Order, and there are very few occasions that would cause such a slip. The urge to cough snaps you out of your thoughts. 

“I have gone to the med bay and they have informed me that the virus that I have is not contagious, and I have taken preventative measures in order to stop anyone else from catching what I have, sir” You could barely finish your sentence as a dry cough escaped your throat, quickly covering your mouth with your arm. Even though the med bay did determine that there was no risk of any other official getting ill, you still decided it would be best to have your room disinfected. The pounding in your head was almost becoming unbearable as you attempt to continue working. It was highly unusual for the General to seem concerned in your well being, there was no denying that it felt nice to have someone appear to care about you. 

“It would be a shame to have a Lieutenant out of commission due to overworking. Despite the fact that preventative measures have been taken, I do encourage taking some time off” Hux stated matter of factly.

“I do believe that would help, sir” You say, sniffling before continuing “However, I still have reports to complete and I don’t believe that asking my subordinates to finish them is the best course of action.” That wasn’t entirely true, you would love to give the work to someone else in order to get your well deserved rest. You really did want to take the offer of having time off, but you did not want to seem weak in front of Hux.

Turning your attention back on your work, struggling to focus through a worsening headache. The sound of Hux’s boots on the tile was the last thing on your mind, that was until you felt his presence beside you. Looking up, your eyes meet his icy blue ones. His eyebrows were raised as if he asked a question and he was waiting on an answer. Without asking he leaned over your desk. You watched in silence at his gloved hands tapping a command into your holopad. 

“Excuse me, sir” You say politely “Might I ask what you are doing?”

“I am ordering you to take time off Lieutenant (L/N),” Hux states standing back up straight, “Your work for today will be taken care of, I do expect you here tomorrow of course. Go to the med bay if you need to, if not, retire to your quarters at once. I cannot risk having such a hard working Lieutenant gone for too long.”

“Thank you, sir.” You say as you stand and organize your belongings. You knew there was no room for an argument. Of course you were thankful for having at least one night to recover. Looking back at your desk, you see General Hux sitting back at his desk working on his holopad. Most likely the work you were attempting to complete. Before you turn your back to leave, you could have sworn you saw a hint of a smile on his face.


	2. Smile

Walking back to your quarters felt like it took an eternity. The pain behind your temples slowly fading as you make it to your room. The silence of your room washed over you like a blanket, taking a deep breath you take a seat on your small bed. Taking off your boots and jacket provide little relief for your aching muscles. The congestion in your head becomes almost unbearable as you decide to take a shower.  
Taking your uniform off and your hair out of your standard bun, you begin to feel more relaxed. After a few moments of feeling the water hit your bare skin, you begin to get lost in your thoughts. The memory of the small smile and the care that Hux showed you was still very fresh in your mind. It made you a bit confused of course. The General had always seemed so cold and serious, especially during work hours, though you have never seen him outside work.

You couldn’t complain about the treatment, enjoying the luxury of taking a long shower before eventually taking a nap. Even though your thoughts are clouded by your sickness, you can't help yourself but think about him, you can’t stop yourself from thinking about his presence, or how caring he sounded when he told you to take time off, and you especially can’t ignore the feeling of warmth that spread along your cheeks. After a few moments of realization, you simply blame it on feeling under the weather.

As you turn off the water, you towel dry your hair feeling the congestion in your nose lessen and your headache dissipate. After sliding on your pajamas, consisting of loose black pants and snug black top. You take a deep breath as you stretch your arms before laying down. Setting an alarm to allow yourself a good amount of rest, you set your alarm on your shelf beside you. Your normally uncomfortable bed felt like heaven as you begin to drift away into a heavy sleep.

_You find yourself in a stark white hallway, the more you look around you realize the multiple corridors connecting to the hall. When you look down at yourself, you are wearing a long black dress that trails behind you and no shoes. Hiking up your dress you begin to pad down the hall. The walls were bare except for simple circular lights. The further you walked down the hall, you noticed a feeling of dread began to wash over you._   
_As you picked up the pace at which you were walking, you heard a distinct pair of footsteps somewhere alongside your bare ones. Along the walls the patterns of stars were becoming visible, almost as if the walls were disappearing. After a few moments the walls were completely gone, you stood on what looked like a plain white line in the expanse of space. The sound of the footsteps stopped as soon as you reached the end of the floor._

_Afraid to turn around, you try to speak but no words come out. After looking out at the mass amount of stars in front of you, you find some courage to turn and face the reason for the footsteps. You were met with the familiar grey eyes and fiery red hair you could never forget. He was wearing all black, his outfit not very different from his regular attire. He reached out as if asking for a dance, his hand was bare of his normal black gloves. You reached out in turn, dropping your dress to the floor. You felt your hands connect, his were warm and rough. Your hand fit perfectly in his palm as he closed his fingers over yours. In that moment everything stood still. He looked at you as if her were to say something_

You awoke abruptly to the sound of your alarm, reaching over to the small area next to your bed you shut it off. You held your face in your hands and rubbed your eyes, blaming your weird dream on your cold. Right, your cold. You could still feel discomfort in your throat, however the need to cough had greatly lessened and you could finally breathe out of your nose. Hux was right in giving you some time off, you smile to yourself at the thought. Catching yourself doing so you decided to busy yourself with getting ready to work.

After getting up to perform your normal morning routine of brushing your teeth and getting your hair in order, you put on your uniform and look at yourself in the mirror. There were slight bags under your eyes, but not nearly as bad as yesterday especially after that much needed rest.  
The thought of going to work brought back the memories of your dream. You wondered why you would dream about your superior, but a small part of you was smiling wondering if he ever thought of you. You let that smile stay with you on your walk to your office, getting only a few side glances from others.

Sitting down at your desk you notice that Hux is not sitting at his, doing a quick once over of the schedule you see he is currently in a meeting. He should be occupied for at least an hour, giving you a small amount of space to yourself. You try to ignore the small feeling of loneliness as you get to your own work. After spending so much time with him being in close range for you to have formed some sort of bond, it is still a bit unsettling when he is gone. Not that will hinder your ability to get your own work done, it was enjoyable to have someone there to talk to. You hardly notice the smile that danced on your lips as you worked, you haven’t felt this happy in a while.

You hear the all too familiar sound of boots on tile, without glancing up from your work you know that it’s Hux. Checking the time, you notice that he was later than he should have been from his meeting. You decide not to take it too seriously.

“Lieutenant, it appears that taking the time off helped hasn’t it?” the General states.

“Yes sir, I am feeling much better. Thank you” you reply. Turning to look at him, you could tell his meeting did not go well. His actions were stiff and aggressive, you knew he was frustrated. When he glances up at you, you flash a small smile. He doesn’t respond, but you could see his shoulders relax.

A small feeling of warmth begins to blossom in your stomach. Did a small smile really affect him? When was the last time someone was nice to him? More importantly, why do you care so much? Sure he was technically your boss, and he had been showing some amount of care towards you. It did mean a lot to be given some time off, especially with the workload that you had that day. Thinking of your time off, you remember you dream. Normally you can’t remember a single thing about any of your dreams, so remembering in such vivid detail is certainly new. You still believe that it was partially due to feeling unwell, there was a part of you that felt butterflies at the thought of your subconscious bringing him into your mind. He was a very powerful figure, with piercing eyes, a strong voice, height that leaves him towering over you ,and vibrant fiery hair.

Catching yourself thinking about the General, focusing all your attention on the work that needs to get done. You could feel his eyes on you, hoping that turning your attention back to your work will make everything go back to normal.

You made it through the day with no interruptions, completing your reports and datalogs. There was no conversation between you and Hux, figuring he was probably just busy. Getting ready to retire back to your quarters you decide that it was probably a better choice to not engage in conversation with the General in fear that you may say something wrong or mention your dream. Images of him taking his hand in yours made your heartbeat flutter. Snapping you attention to the door, you head to your room.


	3. Anxious Assignment

Your night was filled with restless sleep. Images of the red headed General stuck in your brain. The main issue that kept you thinking, was you were feeling much better. This was a problem because you could no longer blame your thoughts on feeling unwell. 

The other problem is you were very unsure of your own feelings towards General Hux. Yes, he was conventionally very attractive. He had sharp features, piercing eyes, and an immensely powerful energy. However, he was technically your boss more importantly a General of The First Order. You knew there was definitely something against feeling this kind of way towards a higher up, and it was very likely that he didn’t feel anything towards you and only showed you some attention to keep you a healthy worker. 

There is obviously no harm with thinking about him in such a way, albeit very confusing. You know that you cannot consider him a friend, even if you are friendly with him. He has always been somewhat warm towards you, instead of always keeping up his usually cold and emotionless persona. Maybe he just naturally felt comfortable around you. After all, he was the only constant in your life since you began working for the first order, so maybe he felt the same. 

You shook your head, the feelings of your boss are none of your business and should stay that way no matter how hard to accept. Checking the time, you had almost an hour before you had to report to work. More than enough time to shower, eat, and get ready. Attempting to ignore the heavy feeling in your stomach, you turn on the water and attempt to continue through your normal routine. As you step out of the shower you take a moment to look at your reflection in the mirror. Leaning in you examine your eyes, noticing faint traces of bags probably due to the poor night's sleep. You turn to look at the curve of your spine, smiling at your silhouette. Even though you may have to wear a grey covering uniform, you still took the time to appreciate your figure. Without wanting to take more time, you quickly dry off and slide into your uniform, open one of the breakfast rations you keep in your room, and slide on your boots. Walking to your post you pass by a few other workers giving them a quick nod. Arriving at your desk, you give a quick glance over at the General.

“Good morning, General” you say, taking a seat 

“Good morning Lieutenant,” General Hux said as he turned his chair to face you “no smile today?”

You almost didn’t catch the question. You felt the heat rush to your face. Why would he ask you that? He must know that isn’t professional, right? Was he expecting a smile from you? Your rambling thoughts were quickly interrupted.

“My apologies,” he followed up “that was highly unprofessional of me.”

“No need for an apology, sir” you forced out, sympathizing with the slight hint of embarrassment in his voice as he spoke, “I’m afraid I had a rough night.” -because of you-

“Well I hope that your assignment today won’t be much of an issue,” He stood and began to walk towards you, “You will be accompanying me to the bridge, now if you will walk with me I will explain the details.”  
As you begin to walk next to Hux, you realize how much his height dwarfed you. Walking through the halls with the General did give you a slight sense of pride as you were next to him. Despite being a Lieutenant there was something about walking with a man who held the respect of all your peers boosted your confidence tenfold. Hux held his gaze straight ahead, his piercing grey eyes staring in front of him. You noticed the slight changes of expression as he spoke, the smattering of freckles on his cheeks, and before you could even catch yourself staring he broke your trance.

“Is there something distracting you?” He said with a small smile on his face

“Oh- No sir” you cleared your throat and turned your head forward, feeling heat rise into your cheeks.

“Sure there isn’t,” he chuckled, resuming his forwards glace “as I was saying. When we arrive I am going to require your assistance in overseeing the return of the command shuttle”

Command shuttle. That means Commander Ren, you felt your body tense up, your breath hitch, and your movements become sharper. Yes, he was technically one of the highest ranking individuals that you will interact with white working for the First Order and that is something that strikes you to your core. You knew that Hux had interactions with Kylo Ren prior to now but the thought of being in close proximity with him spiked your anxiety drastically. All of a sudden you felt a weight on your shoulder, looking down it was a large gloved hand resting on top of your uniform. General Hux and you both stopped, he turned you towards him and removed his hand. 

“Lieutenant, I understand your current fear in regards to Commander Ren.” he spoke seriously as he looked you in the eyes, his piercing greys seeming to soften, “I assure you that you will be safe, follow the standard protocol of interacting with superiors and you will be ok. It’s me he will want to speak with, and I won’t let anything happen to you. Understood”

You gave a quick nod, refusing to break eye contact. You felt yourself relax just a small amount and let out a breath you had no idea you were holding.

“Alright then,” He turned to face forward, his stern expression and serious exterior resuming “We best keep walking” 

The rest of your journey was in silence, the only sounds filling the air were the sound of footfalls and your heartbeat pounding in your ears. What was with the sudden moment of sincerity? Maybe it didn’t really happen and your over tired brain just created that scenario, the General looked like nothing happened as you both continued walking. Oh Stars this was going to eat away at your brain.

It took only a few minutes of walking to reach the bridge, the anxiety that had lessened began to bubble back up as you followed closely behind Hux. Attempting to keep a sense of professionalism, you force yourself to have impeccably good posture and steady your breathing. Remembering your interaction, ‘I won’t let anything happen to you’. Your nerves immediately settled. Maybe it was his tone of voice when he said it, or the circumstances, but that gave you the strength to calm down and set your focus straight. 

Each second seemed to hang in the air around you. Even though it was only a few minutes before the command shuttle arrived, slowly hovering down into place as the wings folded up. Just the sight of the ship was imposing enough to trigger your fight or flight response. 

As the ramp descended from the base of the ship, you repeated what Hux had told you like a mantra. I won't let anything happen to you, I won’t let anything happen to you . Helped to soothe your nerves, you felt a bit better especially when standing next to your Superior Officer. 

Nothing could prepare you for the image of Kylo Ren walking almost directly towards you. The sheer power that emanated off of him made your blood run cold. Repeating your mantra you quickly glanced at the General, he was completely stone faces with his hands tightly grasped behind him. You were mirroring his stance, however your height made it look much less imposing. 

Before you knew it, Kylo Ren was standing parallel to Hux. The glare on his face was even evident through the mask he wore covering his face. The air went still around you, even the few moments of silence felt like eons of time had passed. That was until the silence was broken by a low, almost synthetic voice.

“General Hux” the commander uttered through the static of the mask

“I take it your trip went well, Ren” Hux’s voice was almost dripping with venom as he spoke. This was something you had never seen from the General before. And to think he was just reassuring you before you arrived. With an almost robotic sense, you automatically followed the two men as they walked to the control station. Doing what you were assigned to do, you listened in and made sure to mentally jot down important points. The planet just visited had no signs of any of the Resistance, the civilization visited was hardly a threat to the first order, and so on.

Throughout this limited interaction, not even being mentioned in conversation, you couldn’t help but feel extremely uneasy. The tension between the two was palpable in the air only further enforced by the change of demeanor in Hux and the inability to even glean any emotion from Kylo Ren's face. While the walk continued on, you wondered if you were even being considered in this interaction. Finally reaching the control center, you stood in the shadow of General Hux still intently listening. Then you were quickly snapped back into your reality.

“Lieutenant” came the blank crackling voice, “I assume you will be joining the General from now on”

“Yes, sir” you mustered up the courage to speak, “If I am needed”

“You will know if she will be joining us in the future, Ren” Hux butted in

Without another word, Kylo Ren turned and walked away from the two of you. Your heartbeat began to return back to normal. Even the addressing of your presence was enough to set you into a panic. You looked at the General, he took a deep breath and turned to you. He spoke quietly as if Kylo Ren was still in earshot.

“See, that wasn’t so bad was it?” His voice taking an immediate change of tone, a slight smile rested on his lips. 

“Oh uh,” slightly taken aback by his sudden softer tone“No sir, you are correct”

“Now, I hate to send you off” detecting a bit of sincerity in his voice, “However I do require a report by this evening, I hope you were able to pay attention to what Ren said. You are dismissed Lieutenant.”

“Thank you sir,” you gave a quick nod, “I’ll have the report done by tonight.”

You turn and walk back to your station, hearing the General’s boots walk in the opposite direction down the hall. The mix of emotions that just passed through your mind have you feeling like you’ve been sucked into a whirlwind. You still feel the knot of anxiety in your gut and the heat still stuck on your cheeks. Taking time to rewind to the beginning, you were asked by the General to join him on the bridge, the mention of Kylo Ren caused you to become nervous, then Hux proceeded to actually show some concern and sincerity. You felt butterflies begin to fill your stomach. ‘Oh god this is so embarrassing’ you thought to yourself as you continued to walk. With how he’s been acting around you, and the fact you can’t stop thinking about him raises your worries.

Making it back to your station, you made quick work of typing and filing the report of today’s findings, always taking pride in getting your work done quickly. As you keep yourself occupied with busy work, you allow your thoughts to drift. You felt proud for being able to get through any sort of interaction with Kylo Ren, as he is notorious for his temper and destructive tendencies. You feel a small smile slip onto your lips as you remember how it felt to walk next to the General. It was something so simple but his presence made you feel strong and respected. Using this new found source of motivation, you continue to work with a sense of pride. 

Your work was tedious, but not too challenging. Finishing within a few hours, you check the log for any more tasks to be completed. That resulted in no more incomplete assignments being displayed on your screen, although that would change by your shift tomorrow. Glancing at the spot where the General would normally be, you realized you hadn’t seen him since he dismissed you back to your post. You decide that clocking out and heading back to your quarters would be the best plan of action after your day. 

As you walk through the halls you can’t help but stop and stare out the transparisteel windows that line the hall. No matter how many times you see it, the vast expanse of space is something that will always amaze you. The thousands of stars around you almost fill you with a sense of loneliness despite their beauty. You wonder if all beautiful things are alone, with thousands of miles between them and the others. It may sound foolish but you want someone to share this with. Not just the beauty of the stars, but the experience of viewing them and taking that beauty in. Wondering if the General feels the same when he looks at the stars, you feel a hint of lightness creep into your stomach. You wish you could get him out of your thoughts, but your subconscious refuses. Taking in the last few moments of the stars, you continue your walk to your quarters. 

You slide out of your uniform and put on more comfortable clothes. Taking a quick shower, the feeling of exhaustion begins to flood your senses. Whether it be emotional, physical, or mental, you know that being overtired wouldn’t help. As you climb into bed you turn the lights down and double check your alarm for the next morning. After last night's bout of restlessness, you begin to feel yourself slip into the comfort of your bed and your muscles begin to relax. Thankful you were able to almost drift off completely without any thoughts of the fiery haired general. 

Although you can’t deny that he is attractive, or how when you stand next to him and his height you feel comforted, or how his eyes feel like they are looking deep into your soul and that you wouldn’t care if he kept them there, or how his hair looks so soft and how much you want to run your hands through it and shake it out of its slicked back state, or how on the rare occasions you see a smile from him it feels so genuine and warm, or how when you see him you can’t help but smile, or the feeling of your heartbeat racing and the heat that rises to your cheeks when you think of him.

Oh stars, you were in trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! I tried to make it up with a long chapter!


End file.
